The word legend is probably one of the most overused terms in rugby league. So what factors or characteristics should be used to define the legendary status of a player at the club level?
It’s a very personal thing, but is there a set of criteria that we can create to determine those worthy of this honour?
If we take the Parramatta Eels, you wouldn’t get many arguments if you labelled Peter Sterling, Brett Kenny, Ray Price and Mick Cronin as club legends. So why are they club legends?
They won multiple Premierships for the club and proudly wore the blue and gold for many seasons. They were inspirational figures within the team and made Eels fans proud to be Eels fans.
But do you have to win a grand final to be a club legend? You could argue that Wayne Pearce, Benny Elias and Steve ‘Blocker’ Roach are Tigers’ legends, but they never won a comp. They made it to the final game of the year, but couldn’t quite get their hands on the ultimate prize.
All players mentioned so far represented their state and country, so does that help a player become a club legend – as in, they represented their fans at the highest level.
Or is it longevity? The amount of time they shed blood, sweat and tears for their particular club. If that’s the case, you can’t include Sonny Bill Williams as a club legend for the Roosters, James Maloney for the Sharks or Lote Tuqiri for the Rabbits.
These players had mini-stints at their respective clubs but managed to contribute to winning an elusive grand final. If you ask Roosters, Sharks and Rabbits fans, they’d probably say that these players are club legends because they made a significant contribution to the history of the club.
If you take the example of North Queensland Cowboys, both Matt Bowen and Johnathan Thurston are surely classed as club legends. But only one of these players won a Premiership for the Cowboys. So is it more about crowd favouritism?
Matty Bowen was clearly a fan favourite as he tried his heart out for the club and provided fans with endless entertainment throughout his long career.
Let’s look at club stalwarts, the unsung heroes – those players who are loyal, hard-working, reliable and humble. Are they legends or one category below legends? Soldiers like Mitchell Aubusson from the Sydney Roosters, Gavin Miller from the Sharks, Ethan Lowe from the Cowboys, Petro Civoniceva from the Broncos, or even Kevin Hardwick from the Tigers – just to name a random few from now and the past.
Which brings up another question – do legends have to be retired players?
Maybe another way to try to understand the DNA of a club legend is to analyse someone who isn’t one. Take Jackson Hastings, for example – he had the skills to make junior rep sides, but it seems he’ll never become a club legend – he’s proved to be divisive, selfish and not team-focused.
(AAP Image/Brendan Esposito)
So is a club legend inclusive, selfless and team-centric? Or is that just part of the story?
There are so many criteria you could use, and it’s so tricky to find a universal set of rules to determine legendary status. Quite simply, different players mean different things to different fans because perceptions and emotions are individual.
In summary, I’d like to quote the inexperienced lawyer from the famous Aussie movie ‘The Castle’ when his full defence was that “it’s just the vibe”. A club legend is a player who made or makes you feel super proud to be a member of your tribe. One who fought or is currently fighting for your colours like his life (and yours) depends on it.
Who do you call a legend of your club and why?
Jay Ross
Roar Guru
Thanks Sam
Latte
Guest
Don't agree, you've singled out a single super-player at each club where some clubs have multiple super-players. Some of the clubs that only had one are not in the same as class as other clubs with multiple super players.
Latte
Guest
I don't think awards mean anything to be honest because he was never the first pick for NSW or Australia with Brett Kenny and Wally Lewis around. Peter Sterling picked up a lot of awards too but whether he really deserved them or not is another question.
Latte
Guest
Not sure why Ricky Stuart didn't pick Eric Grothe Jr on the wing for that GF, he would not have been rundown and if he was he would have sent Sattler into the stands and scored the winning try.
Wayne
Guest
I think tim sheens qaulifies as a club legend hard working prop not fancy but gave his all every week then coached the club to its first finals. add phil gould into the equation as well youngest club captain then won the panthers first premiership as a coach and then came back and saved the club from extinction and has rebuilt the club with 2nd to none facilities. I think both those guys are not just club legends but true legends of the game first as players then as coaches and as administrators in phil goulds case.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Fair call. I like "stalwart" for that type of player.
Matt H
Roar Guru
A myth not a legend.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Absolutely Cronin is an Eels legend, as is Kenny, Ella and I would also say Steve Edge, the captain of that side. I was trying to limit to one superstar, one clubman and one cult hero for each. Otherwise my keyboard would have broken after St George. Agree on Alf. I thought about Vautin, but Steve Menzies is Manly.
Larry1950
Guest
Cronin not considered a legend at the eels? that's a bit tough. Alf by a mile at the Broncs ! Surely Vautin gets a manly jersey, if he wasn't busting a gut for them, he was shamelessly promoting them on tv.
Jay Ross
Roar Guru
If that's the case, Lazarus must be the only Triple Club Legend. Maloney would come close, but not close enough.
Jay Ross
Roar Guru
What about Michael McGuire? He helped Souths win their 1st Premiership in 43 years, but was then sacked a few years later. Ricky Stuart won Grand Final at Roosters in his first year, then sacked 4 years after. Are they Club Legends?
BrainsTrust
Guest
Corowa dissapeared then reappeared almost a decade later for Gold Coast was he there long enough.
Albo
Guest
I don't think you can be too stringent with parameters that make a club legend. It is more about those moments that live in the memories of the Club fans, whether that be a high achieving player, a battler that toils for years with the Club or a player that has provided some meaningful moments for the fans. They all achieve legend status in minds of loyal Club fans. I use my Panthers true club legends as examples and why they might be so : Greg Alexander ( immensely talented, reader of the game, try scorer , try creator, goal kicker, first premiership captain) , Royce Simmons ( limited talent, but tough, 100% competitor, leader, try double in his final game their first ever grand final win), Mark Geyer ( talented, hard, mad, loved Queenslanders, good guy in the local community). All reached representative status for State & Country , but it was their Club contributions week in and week out that makes them Panther legends.
The Barry
Roar Guru
I think you can. Lazarus could stake a decent claim to be considered a legend at Canberra, Broncos and Storm. Ronnie Coote, Brad Fittler, Raudonikis, Scott Prince, Kennedy, Inglis and Menzies spring to mind as players who could be considered legends at multiple clubs...
StephenCharles
Guest
Glenn Lazarus will forever be talked about as a legend at the Melbourne Storm even though he only played two seasons. By memory he was the first player signed by the Storm.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Can you be a club legend at Multiple clubs? Is Wally Lewis a Legend at Valleys, Wynnum and the Broncs? I would think he was at Wynuum but you would have to ask their fans. No idea what the old Diehards faithful think. It is debatable about his legacy at the Broncs.
John H
Guest
Not every admirable player can be a legend. Some players are just 'great players' without being legends. A number of the players that are being named by readers as legends are best classed as 'stalwarts'. To call someone is a stalwart is not to disparage them. Legend status should be reserved for the select few. I like the point about Maloney - a journeyman can't be a club legend. Do we need to allow for 'league legends'?
Forty Twenty
Guest
One minute the Teddy Bears are back in the comp, next minute they're forgotten again. What about the Northern Eagles?
Forty Twenty
Guest
The bloke outside Rogers let Lamb thru , Lamb was Rogers man until the second Dogs player came back on the inside. Get it right Sterlo. He was very quick Lamb.
Matt H
Roar Guru
Fair call on Florimo. And I can;t beleive I left the Bears off my list - Ken Irvine, Greg Florimo and Don McKinnon.